Shame South Africa #xenophobia

For a country with e name "Africa", xenophobic attacks are a shame!!!!

Johannesburg – The attacks on foreign nationalsare a shameful assault on humanity, the AfricanNational Congress said on Wednesday. “As SouthAfricans, the far vast majority of whom are deeplyrooted in values of humanity, solidarity andbrotherhood, we are forced to once again hangour heads in shame in the face of thesemisguided and misplaced assaults,” nationalspokesperson Zizi Kodwa said.“The very real challenges faced by the SouthAfrican people of poverty, unemployment andunderdevelopment cannot be blamed on people offoreign nationality.”‘Immigrants are not the enemy’He said the party was aware of concerns raisedby small business owners who were unhappyabout the presence of immigrants in theircommunities. This was why government hadestablished the department of small businessdevelopment, he said.“Attacking our African compatriots will notresolve the problem.“Long before the influx of people from other partsof Africa into South Africa, our country hasbattled with an unequal society as a legacy of ourexclusionary and racist past. Immigrants are notthe enemy,” Kodwa said.Small Business Minister Lindiwe Zulu came underfire earlier this year following comments she hadmade in the aftermath of the attacks and lootingof foreign owned shops in Soweto, Johannesburg.Zulu told Business Day at the time that foreignbusiness owners in the country’s townships couldnot expect to co-exist peacefully with localbusiness owners unless they shared their tradesecrets.“Foreigners need to understand that they are hereas a courtesy and our priority is to the people ofthis country first and foremost,” she was quotedas saying.“A platform is needed for business owners tocommunicate and share ideas. They cannotbarricade themselves in and not share theirpractices with local business owners.”‘Barbaric acts’In KwaZulu-Natal police have been involved inrunning battles with locals and foreignersfollowing attacks and looting on shops in andaround Durban.At least five people have been killed – including ateenager – and 46 people have been arrestedsince the violence flared in Isipingo, outsideDurban on Friday.Around 7 000 people of different nationalities areliving in tents provided by the provincialgovernment for those displaced by the violence.The ANC on Wednesday called on communitiesaround the country to stop these “barbaric acts”which fed into a narrative of a violent society,devoid of compassion.“The law enforcement agencies must act withoutany fear or favour to halt this state of affairs andbring all transgressors to book.“It is not the role of or communities to violentlypolice the legality or lack thereof of those whoreside amongst us,” he said.-News24